Vernon Davis on Alex Smith’s streak of no INTs: ‘Amazing, but it doesn’t surprise me’

It’s Dan Brown (@mercbrownie) with a guest post from Cam Inman, who will be back running with the first string on Wednesday.

Anyone remember Alex Smith’s last interception? Here’s a hint: You might have been on your third helping of turkey.

The 49ers quarterback last threw a pick on Thanksgiving Day –Nov. 24, 2011– during the “Harbaugh Bowl” against the Baltimore Ravens.

Smith heads into Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions having gone 185 consecutive passes without an INT. That breaks the 49ers record set by Hall of Famer Steve Young, who threw 184 straight in 1993.

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Joe Montana has the franchise’s third longest streak, with 154 passes in 1989.

Now, the record belongs to the man who once threw 11 interceptions (against one TD pass) as a rookie.

“The streak is pretty amazing, but it doesn’t surprise me,’’ tight end Vernon Davis said. “Since I’ve been here with Alex, when I look into his eyes, I see determination. I see a guy who wants to succeed. He wants it bad.”

Against the Green Bay Packers last Sunday, Smith completed 20 of 26 passes for 211 yards and a 125.6 quarterback rating. Most encouraging to Davis is that his quarterback finally had a wide array of targets from which to choose.

Instead forcing the ball to his tight end, as he had in years past, Smith could also consider Michael Crabtree (targeted 9 times for 7 catches) and Randy Moss (4 for 4).

“It’s awesome playing with those guys because it works hand in hand,’’ Davis said. “If the attention goes to them, then the ball goes to me. If the attention goes to me, then they get the ball.

“It’s a blessing to be able to have Randy come in here and be able to contribute and help us right away.”

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Following the lead of Coach Jim Harbaugh, Davis played down the significance of last year’s handshake incident as the 49ers gear up for a showdown with Jim Schwartz and the Lions.

Davis said the heightened emotions won’t have anything to do with the postgame handshake. He expects the Lions to still be steamed from the 49ers’ narrow victory in Detroit last season.

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“It would be just like if we faced the Giants. We’d be thinking: ‘We have to get ‘em back. It’s not over,’’’ Davis said. “They want us bad.

“They probably still feel like they have some things left on the table. We have to keep in mind that they’re coming to play hard, physical football.”

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Punter and holder Andy Lee sported a protective splint around his right thumb Tuesday. He was mum about details of the injury – Harbaugh’s orders, he said – but Lee said there was no doubt he would play Sunday. “No. Not in my mind,’’ he said.

As the Raiders can attest, losing a special teams player can have a big impact. Oakland botched three punts Monday after an injury to Pro Bowl long snapper Jon Condo.

Lee said he is grateful for the reliable consistency of 49ers long snapper Brian Jennings, who has played in 193 consecutive games. That streak is second in 49ers history to tackle Len Rhode’s 208.

Just in case, though, Lee said backup long snapper Daniel Kilgore gets 4 to 8 snaps per practice.

“All I ask of him is: throw the ball, let me catch it and we’ll do our best,’’ Lee said.

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The ball David Akers booted for an NFL-record tying 63-yard field goal visited the locker room Tuesday. The ball will soon be shipped off to Canton, Ohio, for display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Akers, meanwhile, has seen endless replays of his shocked reaction after the ball bounced over the crossbar and into history.

“I thought it was amazing. You don’t think you hit it well enough, then it hits the crossbar and I’m thinking, ‘Great 63 yards and you came up an inch short,”’ he said. “That’s where a lot of the shock came from. To me I just think it’s a blessing and a miracle.”

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In four career games against the Lions, running back Frank Gore has averaged 125.3 rushing yards. That’s the highest average against Detroit since 2005 (minimum 3 games).